Model Comparison

DeepSeek R1 Zero vs o1-miniWhich is better in 2026?

DeepSeek R1 Zero significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Verdict: DeepSeek R1 Zero vs o1-mini — which is better?

DeepSeek R1 Zero (by DeepSeek) and o1-mini (by OpenAI) are two of the AI models people compare most. Here is how they stack up on benchmarks, price and capabilities, and which one to pick in 2026.

DeepSeek R1 Zero outperforms in 2 benchmarks (GPQA, MATH-500), while o1-mini is better at 0 benchmarks. DeepSeek R1 Zero significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Choose DeepSeek R1 Zero if…

  • you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 2 of 2 shared benchmarks
  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped Jan 2025
  • you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune

Choose o1-mini if…

  • you want predictable pricing at $3.00/M input and $12.00/M output
Want to compare interactively?Try the playground

Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

2 benchmarks

DeepSeek R1 Zero outperforms in 2 benchmarks (GPQA, MATH-500), while o1-mini is better at 0 benchmarks.

DeepSeek R1 Zero significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Sat Jun 13 2026 • llm-stats.com

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

Only o1-mini specifies input context (128,000 tokens). Only o1-mini specifies output context (65,536 tokens).

DeepSeek
DeepSeek R1 Zero
Input- tokens
Output- tokens
OpenAI
o1-mini
Input128,000 tokens
Output65,536 tokens
Sat Jun 13 2026 • llm-stats.com

License

Usage and distribution terms

DeepSeek R1 Zero is licensed under MIT, while o1-mini uses a proprietary license.

License differences may affect how you can use these models in commercial or open-source projects.

DeepSeek R1 Zero

MIT

Open weights

o1-mini

Proprietary

Closed source

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

DeepSeek R1 Zero was released on 2025-01-20, while o1-mini was released on 2024-09-12.

DeepSeek R1 Zero is 4 months newer than o1-mini.

DeepSeek R1 Zero

Jan 20, 2025

1.4 years ago

4mo newer
o1-mini

Sep 12, 2024

1.8 years ago

Knowledge Cutoff

When training data ends

Neither model specifies a knowledge cutoff date.

Unable to compare the recency of their training data.

No cutoff dates available

Outputs Comparison

Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue discussion→

Key Takeaways

DeepSeek
Has open weights
Higher GPQA score (73.3% vs 60.0%)
Higher MATH-500 score (95.9% vs 90.0%)
OpenAI
Larger context window (128,000 tokens)

Detailed Comparison

AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
DeepSeek
DeepSeek R1 Zero
OpenAI
o1-mini

FAQ

Common questions about DeepSeek R1 Zero vs o1-mini.

Which is better, DeepSeek R1 Zero or o1-mini?

DeepSeek R1 Zero significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. DeepSeek R1 Zero is made by DeepSeek and o1-mini is made by OpenAI. The best choice depends on your use case — compare their benchmark scores, pricing, and capabilities above.

How does DeepSeek R1 Zero compare to o1-mini in benchmarks?

DeepSeek R1 Zero scores MATH-500: 95.9%, AIME 2024: 86.7%, GPQA: 73.3%, LiveCodeBench: 50.0%. o1-mini scores HumanEval: 92.4%, MATH-500: 90.0%, MMLU: 85.2%, SuperGLUE: 75.0%, GPQA: 60.0%.

What are the context window sizes for DeepSeek R1 Zero and o1-mini?

DeepSeek R1 Zero supports an unknown number of tokens and o1-mini supports 128K tokens. A larger context window lets you process longer documents, conversations, or codebases in a single request.

What are the main differences between DeepSeek R1 Zero and o1-mini?

Key differences include licensing (MIT vs Proprietary). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

Who makes DeepSeek R1 Zero and o1-mini?

DeepSeek R1 Zero is developed by DeepSeek and o1-mini is developed by OpenAI.

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